Part of the holotype, TZ-07, was discovered in 2002 by scientists affiliated with the Rukwa Rift Basin Project, which was run by Patrick O'Connor and Nancy Stevens.[3] The rest of the skeleton was excavated during the following years. The species Shingopana songwensis was officially named in 2017.[3]
Description
Shingopana was a quadrupedal Aeolosaurin sauropod that would have reached up to 8 metres (26 ft) long when fully grown, smaller than the average sauropod.[3]
Skeleton
The holotype was damaged by insect bore holes shortly after the animal died.[3]
Shingopana is known from a partial jaw, represented by the angular bone. Shingopana is also known from four cervical vertebrae; with two of these vertebrae having preserved cervical ribs and another isolated cervical rib. Shingopana instead had remnants of a bulbous expansion on the incompletely preserved cervical vertebrae, which probably helped to strengthen its neck.[3]
Four ribs have been preserved with the holotype, but none are complete. The ribs had flanged edges, but their function is currently unknown.[3]
An almost complete humerus and a partial pubis were also present in the holotype.
^ abcO’Connor, Patrick M.; Gottfried, Michael D.; Stevens, Nancy J.; Roberts, Eric M.; Ngasala, Sifa; Kapilima, Saidi; Chami, Remigius (March 2006). "A new vertebrate fauna from the Cretaceous Red Sandstone Group, Rukwa Rift Basin, Southwestern Tanzania". Journal of African Earth Sciences. 44 (3): 277–288. Bibcode:2006JAfES..44..277O. doi:10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2005.11.022. ISSN1464-343X.
^O’Connor, Patrick M.; Sertich, Joseph J. W.; Stevens, Nancy J.; Roberts, Eric M.; Gottfried, Michael D.; Hieronymus, Tobin L.; Jinnah, Zubair A.; Ridgely, Ryan; Ngasala, Sifa E. (August 2010). "The evolution of mammal-like crocodyliforms in the Cretaceous Period of Gondwana". Nature. 466 (7307): 748–751. Bibcode:2010Natur.466..748O. doi:10.1038/nature09061. ISSN0028-0836. PMID20686573. S2CID4405106.
